Daily Rant – July 18, 2009
July 18, 2009
I had a thought today. Here we are in the middle of a bunch of elite politicians who would not be able to earn a living if it weren’t for people like us who pay taxes. Face it, they are leeches and blood-suckers. There is no other way for them to get paid without the hard work of others. Yet they place themselves in a category above us.
Look at health care. They are going to foist this sham on all of us. Page 16 of the bill will make sure that everyone will end up in this nationalized fiasco… except for THEM! Member of congress have the Cadillac of health plans paid for by us, and it goes with them upon retirement for LIFE! You and I are going to be stuck with the third world health care that will be left for the rest of us. The guy designing the program is going to let the elderly and very ill DIE. It’s part of the plan, my guess is to cut Social Security costs which are skyrocketing. If people are dead, there are now benefits to pay. But look at the plan and show me where I am wrong.
Back to taxes. If you are a 1099 contractor, the government is coming for you. They have to pay for this health care and other programs somehow. Independent contractors are probably going to have to pay a 3% withholding right off the top of their earnings. In California this is already being proposed so they can get their dirty little mits on the money and not have to wait until the end of the year to be paid when we file our taxes. Ted Kennedy proposed this bill at the national level, so it’s coming soon to a theater near you, I guarantee it. They are out of money. They know it. We know it. And they know we know it!
Without the private sector, government would not exist. Without taxes, how would government get the money to pay for the things they do? They do not produce a car, boat, house or even a baseball bat that they can sell to earn a profit. They expect us to do that, then pay them over 50% of our earnings in taxes, medicare, disability and so on for them to spend on building their bureaucracies. In this way they can hire people who then vote for them because these people owe their livelihood to the government. It’s kind of depressing when you think about it.
Here we are working hard, earning a living and following the rules. Along come these scumbags who take our money and blow it on programs to get themselves re-elected. We are the ones who make this country great, not them! They tax and regulate to give themselves more power and to stay elected, but really, they are the pond scum that are holding this country back from the greatness it once celebrated.
- FedUpEditor
Daily Rant – July 16, 2009
July 16, 2009
Who is going to pay for health care? The rich? Seems to me we should start with the representatives and take their money first before we start turning to the citizens. After all most of these idiots got rich while serving US and now they want to raise taxes on the rich… That only goes so far. Most people do not make that much to begin with, so there are not enough rich people to pay for this debacle. Studies show increase in taxes on the rich will not generate enough money.
Not only that, but we are losing jobs. What is going to happen to all the insurance agents when government takes over? Obama is a liar! He says we will be able to keep our health care if we like it. WRONG! Those companies will be out of business because on page 16 of the bill it says insurance companies will not be able to sell and people will not be able to buy new health policies. This will guarantee the collapse of the insurance industry. Maybe that’s what our lawmakers want.
- FedUpEditor
Daily Rant – July 15, 2009
July 15, 2009
As I go off to work and pay taxes so our government can waste them, I had this thought. Are Democrats over reaching? Time will tell. Regardless of how many protests we do, faxes we fax and letters and e-mails we write, they don’t seem to be listening. It’s like a runaway freight train with a mind of its own. Congress is deaf to the concerns of the American People (us) and forges ahead like a bull in a China shop, taking the economy and jobs with it.
The latest proposal by Nancy Pelosi (at the behest of Barack Obama) is nationalized health care. Study after study show that this notion is just as unpopular now as it was when Hillary Clinton proposed it during her husband’s administration. Trouble is, Democrats control all branches of government, and it probably can not be stopped.
We should be very afraid if this debacle gets passed. Is there bright spot? It will show that again liberals do not have the well being of their constituents in mind when they pass this legislation, but only more control. It’s going to bite them in the butt. In the end, people watch the economy and see that the stimulus and other programs are not working. Had they left things alone, we would be on the path to recovery. However, since they don’t ever let a crisis go to waste, they were counting on (I think) putting their plans in place and the economy recovering in spite of it. The problem is, it’s not happening. Just as Roosevelt interfered during the Great Depression and made it last longer with his “fixes”, so will Democrats over reach and put us in the tank to the point where people will have no other choice than to vote Republican in 2010 for REAL CHANGE!
My prediction? Obama will be a one term president and go into the dust bin of history along with Jimmy Carter. I hear he needs help building houses for Habitat. Let Barack roll up his sleeves and get busy with that “shovel ready” project!
- FedUpEditor
Daily Rant – July 14, 2009
July 14, 2009
In a time when the economy needs jobs, a circuit court in California has stopped a modernization project proposed by Chevron. This has put over 1,000 people out of work. Not only that, but the project would make the old facilities which are badly in need of repairs much safer.
You would think this is something environmentalists would be especially in favor of, but the lawsuit was brought forth by three special interest groups: Communities for a Better Environment, the West County Toxics Coalition and the Asian Pacific Environmental Network. Remember this if one of the tanks starts leaking into the Bay!
Communities for a Better Environment says, “The mission of Communities for a Better Environment is to achieve environmental health and justice by building grassroots power in and with communities of color and working-class communities.” Does this mean putting people out of work and making sure old, unreliable oil refineries are allowed to rust and leak? I have driven past this refinery many times, and it is quite far from any residential neighborhood. So what could be their purpose? To extort money from Chevron? We’ll have to see. They are based in Huntington Park, California, so my guess is they may not even know where Richmond is!
The West County Toxics Coalition (WCTC) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), multi-racial membership organization founded in 1986 to empower low and moderate-income residents to exercise greater control over environmental problems that impact their quality of life in County Costa County, particularly West Contra Costa County (West County), in Northern California. If they are truly concerned about environmental problems, why would they oppose an upgrade to a system that is already there an in decay? And how doe they empower low and moderate-income residents? By keeping them low and moderate-income? Without a job at the refinery they are ensuring just that. In my opinion they are toxic to the community’s well-being!
Finally, the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, “…seeks to empower low-income Asian Pacific Islander (API) communities to achieve environmental and social justice. APEN believes that the environment includes everything around us: where we live, work and play. And we strive to build grassroots organizations that will improve the health, well-being and political strength of our communities.” So why would an Asian organization be concerned about shutting down a California company’s plan to update their facility? Anyone want to guess? Could it be they want the jobs for their own country?
Tort reform needs to happen. These frivolous lawsuits must stop. Environmental groups shut down the Hawaii Super Ferry and pushed them into bankruptcy thanks to tactics like these. Fortunately, Chevron is a much healthier company and will prevail once the facts are known, and the case is taken to a higher court that actually understands the law as well as what’s at stake for our state and our country as a whole.
- FedUpEditor
Daily Rant – July 13, 2009
July 13, 2009
Democrats promised the stimulus would bring us out of this recession and what happened? It’s getting worse and now they want to do another stimulus. Why? So they can make it worse? Listen to me now. If we want this country to come out of this down economy we must tell legislators to cut taxes NOW! People are not really investing in the economy because the rules are changing every day! You’d be foolish to do anything right now, and that’s what is happening.
IRS Run Health Care
Someone I know owed the IRS for three years from not filing, 2005, 2006 and 2007. They work for me and so I had to send the IRS their check as the monthly payment along with a coupon telling them where to apply the money. Guess what? After 1 year, this person got a notice of intent to levy their bank account because the taxes had not been paid.
Know what happened? Taxes for 2005 had finally been paid in full and the new payments were not being applied to the outstanding balance for 2006. You would think someone looking at this account would see there is an overpayment for 2005 and no payments for 2006, then go ahead and make the adjustment. Not so. Can you imagine when these nameless, faceless bureaucrats are running our health care what is going to happen?
- FedUpEditor
Daily Rant – July 11, 2009
July 12, 2009
Face it, folks. Practically every bill that congress puts forward is just another tax bill. Look at the facts:
- Cap and Trade – it includes a tax for emitters of carbon dioxide. Technically every one of us would have to pay a tax for exhaling! It also taxes and regulates businesses which will essentially shut down companies and cause higher unemployment.
- Health Care – it will include a new payroll tax to help pay for it as well as the above tax which they say is where the money for this program will come from. Does anyone have a lie detector? Do these idiots really think this will work?
- Illegal Amnesty - it would fail to solve our problem, but in essence it is aimed at taking illegals and making them legal so they could pay taxes. It didn’t work when Reagan tried it, and it won’t work now. Will we ever learn?
Fundamentally, everything that involves taxation actually is about freedom. Think about it this way. Higher taxes on the tobacco products were supposed to stop people from smoking. The taxes are fast approaching the actual cost of the product if it weren’t taxed at all! I am against smoking. Have never tried it and never will. But if people want to smoke, is it my business to stop them? NO. This is about government control, not health. And think about this; if all those taxes are supposed to pay for health programs what happens when everyone quits smoking? Where will that money come from then? And just because the government says it’s wrong, does that make it so? What if they said “religion is unhealthy” and outlawed it. It’s an absurd extreme (or is it?) but you should get my point. Government says man made global warming is happening, but that doesn’t make it so.
In the above examples, cap and trade takes away our freedom to buy the car we want. Oh, sure, we can still buy a gas guzzler (for now), but we will have to pay higher taxes for them. And those who are good little boys and girls will get a check from the government for “choosing” a “green” vehicle. It’s reward based training, and we are Pavlov’s dogs. Not only that, but bigger cars and trucks will be more expensive to make, so once people stop buying them because of price the government will achieve its real purpose… to push us into little golf carts which will put a huge strain on our already insufficient electrical grids!
Health care is being seriously considered because the government says it’s a crisis… Only for people who don’t have health insurance (which over 80% of us have). So who would that include? Can anyone say illegal aliens? Who are Democrats pandering to? Illegal aliens? Who votes Democrat most of the time anyway? Can you say illegal aliens? Can anyone define the word “illegal” for me? And answer these questions for me:
- HOW DO THESE PEOPLE GET TO VOTE IN THE FIRST PLACE?
- WHICH PARTY IS LETTING THAT HAPPEN?
- WHAT GROUP OF PEOPLE ARE CAUSING US TO SPEND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO SUPPORT THEM WITH HEALTH CARE, FOOD STAMPS AND HOUSING ASSISTANCE?
Can anyone say illegal aliens?
I realize I have covered a couple of topics here this morning, but I will keep hammering them home until people start to wake up and do the right thing. Besides, this is essentially what the daily rant is all about! Freedom of SPEECH, even if I am wandering!
- FedUpEditor
Daily Rant – July 11, 2009
July 11, 2009
People in California are stupid. Just as Michigan keeps electing Democrats and things continue to get worse, so does California. Now I am not really saying that all Republicans are created equal, but there is a better chance a GOP candidate will be more fiscally responsible than a Democrat.
I heard a pundit the other day say that people in California are blaming the governor for the current budget crisis. Since Arnold is a Republican, they are blaming his party. They obviously don’t realize that all the spending bills origniate in the state assembly, not the governor’s office. He just signs or vetoes the bills.
So if you want to place blame, look to the state assembly members who refuse to cut spending. And when they do make cuts, it is to essential services so citizens will be inconvenienced and support their outrageous spending.
Voters get it in some respects. They turned down all the tax increases in the last election, so it’s obvious we are tired of high taxes. If we have to do with less, so should the government. After all, that’s where they get their money in the first place… from us!
I keep trying to make the analogy without much luck. But government does not produce anything (at least it didn’t until it took over General Motors!). In accounting it is called a cost center; something that doesn’t directly contribute to the profit of the business. Think of a bath tub full of water. That is the economy and the water is the value of the economy. When businesses grow, the water is turned on and the tub fills. But when government taxes, it takes a bucket from one end and pours it back into the other end. There is essentially no change. In fact, sometimes water spills on the floor in the form of graft and corruption which lowers the level. If you have government spending trillions of dollars taxpayers haven’t earned yet, it is like pulling the plug in the drain. Eventually the water is gone.
That is what is happening to our economy under the Obama administration. In California it’s the same thing. Since, as we said yesterday, as California goes, so goes the rest of the nation, then we are all circling the drain.
Solution: look at how much money our state is spending on illegal immigrants. We are going broke providing for people who contribute to the economy in the form of goods and services, but do not contribute to the tax system. This is what amnesty is supposed to be about; bring them out of the shadows and get them on the tax rolls. Unfortunately, this is the wrong approach. What we need to do is put the plug back in the drain and cut funding for these programs. Start there and see if that stops the leak.
Next, look at how much our representatives are making and cut their salaries. Also cut their staff and close some offices. Each of these things will help curb our spending.
Finally, get rid of some of the dead weight in public offices by not hiring new employees when people leave. This hiring freeze will eliminate these salaries and get rid of the health benefits we have been providing these people.
- FedUpEditor
Daily Rant – July 10, 2009
July 10, 2009
Center for Individual Freedom starts out with this; “If it’s true that as California goes, so goes the nation, Americans should be very afraid.” No kidding. California is in debt just like the rest of the country, but unlike the federal government, California can not print its own money. Perhaps that’s the solution: print Cal-Bucks!
We started this blog trying to be non-partisan, but it is impossible to look at what Democrats and liberal Republicans are doing and stay neutral. While congress passes the cap and trade bill with some Republican votes, California’s Representative Bono(wife of the late Sonny Bono) wanted to level the playing field. Say what? She says California was at such a disadvantage to the rest of the country with its environmental regulations that it was the right thing to do and pass them for everyone!
So this is the kind of thinking that POLITICIANS come up with. These are people who are in the business of getting re-elected, not doing what’s best for the country in spite of “consensus”. Consensus is cowardice. It’s justifying a position and saying it is right because everyone else says it is too. Gutless. As we have said here before, slavery was right by consensus of plantation owners too, but it was morally WRONG! There was a consensus that the world was flat for the longest time. People were burned at the stake for heresy if they said it was not so. So what we need are statesmen; people who make decisions because they are right for the country regardless of political consequences. Remember, if everyone jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, should you too? Not if you want to live!
I strongly disapprove of the job President Obama is doing, regardless of what the economy does. Pollster Scott Rasmussen was on the Limbaugh Show with with Mark Bellings as host and said the high disapproval numbers the President is experiencing is a direct result of a bad economy. Oh yeah?
I want President Obama to FAIL!
Why is that so hard to understand? I would love for Obama to adopt conservative principles and succeed, but that is not what’s happening. Let’s look at the Obama policies:
- Auto bailout – True, Bush started it, but was it a rope-a-dope to get Obama to follow his lead and then increase the number in order to make him fail? This government take over is fascism. Regardless of the bailout, the auto companies that were too big to fail, failed anyway and went into bankruptcy and/or reorganization. Good plan! I want Obama to fail.
- Financial bailout – True, Bush started it, but was it a rope-a-dope to get Obama to follow his lead? It worked. While Democrats were directly responsible for the mortgage failure thanks to their compassionate toxic loan programs, Obama stood by and let them continue these failed policies. Even with the stimulus, banks are still reluctant to loan money. Good plan! I want Obama to fail.
- Stimulus – Bush started it, but was it a rope-a-dope to get Obama to follow his lead? After Bush was wrong in pushing a stimulus package, Democrats said he was wrong, and then followed it up with MORE money! Good plan! So let us get this straight; it’s wrong when Republicans spend billions but it’s okay when Democrats spend trillions? Good plan! I want Obama to fail.
- Cap and Trade – This passed the House under Nancy Pelosi of California (Democrat) and will seriously tax our energy to the point where EVERYONE will get a tax increase in the form of higher energy bills. It will also cost our country thousands of jobs in various energy sectors. The difference will not be offset with “green” jobs in solar and wind. In fact, liberals and liberal activist groups are opposing them too. Do a Google search “liberals oppose wind and solar” and you will find a Fox News article about Diane Feinstein of California (Democrat) who says, “don’t spoil our deserts with solar panels!” Seem you just can’t make some people happy. So “as California goes, so goes the rest of the nation”? Where, down the tubes?
- Government Health Care – The federal government taking over this huge part of the private sector is a BAD idea regardless of what the other countries are doing, and people know it. This plan is hugely unpopular and people are against implementing it. But as usual, Democrats and some Republicans are tone deaf and plan to pass this poor legislation in spite of our protests. Good plan! I want Obama to fail.
- Illegal Amnesty – This was unpopular several years ago with BOTH parties, yet with a majority in the house and senate along with a president who will sign the bill, Democrats will be solely responsible for passing this huge amnesty mistake. I want Obama’s plan to fail.
There’s more legislation on the way that I disagree with because it is un-American. So, yes, I want Obama to FAIL! But, I want the COUNTY to SUCCEED! The only way it can do this is defeat these failed Obama policies!
- FedUpEditor
Daily Rant – July 9, 2009
July 9, 2009
Nationalized Health Care
Why would anyone who has health care (which is over 80% of us) think a single payer system would be a good idea and that it would be cheaper? Does anyone not think our taxes will go up to pay for it? If you do, contact me. I have some money making ventures I’d like you to invest in.
What will happen, as I have said here before, is government (Democrats are in charge now, so they can’t blame Bush) intends to tax employees for the health benefits their company gives them. In the same wave of the hand they are also going to remove the tax deductible status for the health care they provide for employees. This way Democrats (after all they run everything; house, senate and presidency) essentially tax both sides of this equation. How does that help the little guy?
Imagine what I’ve just described takes place, who in my audience believes companies will continue to provide health care? How does this help anyone if they don’t? How many people will be hurt? Remember, you heard it here. When it happens I don’t want anyone to be surprised and to ask why the government would do that?
Answer: To get nationalized health care, there must be a greater demand. In order to make this happen, government must create the crisis to begin with. What better way to do it than implement the plan they are considering?
Higher Taxes and Balanced Budget
I say if politicians want to tax people over $250,000 then they should be FIRST. I want every house member and senator audited. Everything they own over $250,000 should go into the pot toward the deficit and balance the budget. Why wouldn’t politicians promoting this policy as a good idea not want to get in front of it and lead the way? Ted Kennedy? John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry? I say YOU FIRST!
Cap and Trade and the G8 Summit are going to kill our economy just as the liberals intend. I know it’s hard to believe that Americans would want bad things for our country, but it’s true. It has to be. How can job killing restrictions on manufacturing and energy production be anything but harmful? And why would anyone vote for people who wish bad things for our country? With unemployment reaching over 10% it’s obvious that Obama’s policies are NOT working. It won’t be long before people will be wishing Bush was back!
Joe Biden
Joe, which is it? The other day you said the stimulus wasn’t working because you “guessed wrong”. Today I heard you say it IS working which is why you want to push a second stimulus. Has anyone ever seen anything as erratic as the Obama administration? They seem to be all over the place, saying one thing one day and something completely opposite the next. Of course, the press (lapdogs that they are) never call him on it. But people are starting to understand. Polls show Obama’s popularity and dislike for his policies are starting to come together. It is Obama’s economy, and the stimulus is not working. We don’t need to spend MORE money. We need to CHANGE policies! After all, that’s what he promised, didn’t he? As for me, I’ve “LOST HOPE”.
Final question; if it was the failed Bush policies that Obama was running against then why is he continuing AND accelerating them?
- FedUpEditor
Daily Rant – July 7, 2009
July 7, 2009
I had several thoughts this morning that have been rattling around in my head.
Sarah Palin
Remember Ross Perot? He was doing well in the polls. People liked what he had to say. He explained what he was going to do and did it in a rational way. Then he suddenly dropped out because of threats to his family (or so he said). That was it. He still had some staunch followers, but basically, people don’t like quitters.
I say the same is true with Sarah Palin. Regardless if her reasons are valid, she looks weak to those less informed voters… which is most of the country! The fact that liberals have attacked her with frivilous lawsuits to basically paralyze her administration shows they are afraid of her. But even if it is the right thing for her to do for Alaska, it looks to the rest of us that she is “chicken”.
Afterall, Democrats NEVER back away from a chance for power regardless if it’s good for the state or the country. Look at Gore in 2000. Look at the senator from one of the Dakotas who was in a coma, for gosh sake, and Democrats refused to let the Republican governor name a replacement for fear of losing a seat! Then there’s Al Franken in Minnesota who got more votes than there were. Thank you ACORN. Pelosi insults the intelligence community and lies about what they told her. Does she step down? NEVER? I could go on, but my point is that Republicans almost always take the “easy” way out and resign even if it is the right thing to do. Democrats will grasp to power regardless of the circumstances.
Michael Jackson
Every major news network is covering the Michael Jackson funderal wall to wall. You can’t get away from it. He is getting more coverage than past presidents. It shows we are a celebrity culture.
Cap and Trade
This is terrible legislation. Does anyone know what is in the bill? Very few people realize how harmful this is going to be for our country if it passes the senate. Who is going to be hurt by this?
- Unions will be hurt and should be against it just for the jobs they will lose in the energy industry
- Poor people will be hurt by the skyrocketing energy costs
- People in the north will be hurt because they need energy to heat their homes in the winter and cool them in the summer
- Industry will be hurt which means jobs by the loss of power plants which will shut down or have to scale back to meet pollution standards
Who wins?
- Practically nobody in the real world
- Environmentalists who believe everything wrong with the world has to do with coal and oil
- People who hate America and think we need to be taken down a peg because we have too lavish a lifestyle
If you think I’m joking on this last one, have many times have you seen or heard shows telling you to conserve energy, turn up or down your thermostat to conserve enegy, laundry tips like hanging your clothes outside to dry to save energy, hand dry your dishes rather than using the dishwasher to dry them… and on and on and on. I LOVE the United States because if I want to pay for the energy (at least for now) I can use it how I want. Someday soon, that may not be true. But limiting travel and energy use because it will harm the environment is ludicrous and only hurts an already struggling economy.
Watch Senator Harry Reid very carefully. The word is he will not bring this bill to the floor for a vote. Don’t believe it. If he stalls, it’s because he is in a fight for his political career. As senator from Nevada, a normally conservative state, he will be challenged by a Republican candidate in 2010. If he tables this bill before the election in hopes it will get him re-elected, then look for it to come back if he does win. Keep your fingers crossed. The Cap and Trade bill will kill our economy with higher taxes for everyone!
- FedUpEditor
